FABLE FACTORY

The Astronomer

ARUBA ADIL
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I'm a troubled child
I turn on the TV
And dream of another life.

I am not sorry
I just wanted to have some fun.
Those days were so divinely starry
But now I'm on the run.

No more stargazing, now I just stare at blank ceilings.
But I've seen galaxies in my head, lying on my bed.
Math and boys makes me feel amnesic.
They told me to write about my feelings
And it was like telling a deaf man to write about music.

Wounds are stars and I'm full of constellations
I've confused kismet with karma on several occasions
But I've always known my heart was a black hole.
Extraterrestrials like me don't mind being on parole.

I'm tired of perpetually falling apart.
Unhappiness is not art,
But they say the stars collided and created the sun,
So maybe self-destruction is.

Wasted, Misspent Summer & You

USHRA
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Here's to the summer that matters
The summer with damaged hair
And red patches on tanned arms
The summer of whispering sweet nothings
Over the intruding metro station noises

To the summer with fuller lips
And strawberry flavored sunscreen
The summer with Lennon shades
And his wonderful rhymes to match
And memories that are close to eternal

Here's to the summer when it never rained
To the summer that came with sunshine
So much sunshine, and a sunny boy too

Here's to the summer with starry skies
And a cancerous novel
The summer with blurry lights
Hurried apologies, and breathless laughter

Here's to the summer with unhealthy junk food
& cheap gas station lottery tickets
The summer with sleepless nights
& tight hugs

The summer with sea breezes
& sea beaches
The summer where the
Pacific wouldn't have glimmered without you, sunshine.

Here's to the summer of swing sets
Holding tender hands and having feet sink in sand
The summer of running after buses at 10 after dark
The summer of loving
& falling in love

And here's to the summer of knowing the difference
And falling still

There's something about grey skies and wind blowing through freshly-washed hair. So here's to rainfall and the smell of petrichor - happy birthday, sunshine.